Saim Ayub Become No.1 Ranked T20i All-rounder
DUBAI: Pakistan’s young sensation Saim Ayub has achieved a remarkable feat by climbing to the No. 1 spot in the ICC T20I all-rounder rankings, a career-defining moment for the 23-year-old.
Although his recent batting form has been inconsistent, Ayub’s valuable bowling performances have lifted him to the top of the charts, pushing India’s Hardik Pandya down to second place. Afghanistan’s veteran Mohammad Nabi retained his third position with 231 rating points.
Among other Pakistan players, Mohammad Nawaz advanced four places to 13th with 166 points, while Faheem Ashraf also gained four spots to 35th with 100 points. Left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi enjoyed a notable rise, leaping 15 positions to 56th.
On the flip side, not every Pakistani benefited from the latest update. Shadab Khan slipped to 36th, skipper Agha Salman dropped to 72nd, Abbas Afridi fell to 79th, and Iftikhar Ahmed went down to 92nd.
This milestone serves as a major confidence boost for Saim Ayub, who is steadily building his reputation as one of Pakistan’s most dynamic T20 cricketers. His recent impact with the ball was particularly impressive in the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025, where he picked up eight wickets in seven games at an economy rate of 6.40.
In the T20I batting rankings, opener Sahibzada Farhan made a significant leap, climbing 11 places to 13th with 658 points after a stellar Asia Cup campaign. Fakhar Zaman improved by six spots to 60th, while skipper Salman Ali Agha went up two places to 62nd. Mohammad Haris also impressed, surging 11 places to 79th with 431 points.
Meanwhile, former mainstays Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who have been absent from Pakistan’s T20 setup since 2024, continued to slide. Babar fell two spots to 37th, and Rizwan dropped three places to 41st. Youngsters Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz also dipped slightly, each slipping three spots to 57th and 61st, respectively.
At the very top, India’s Abhishek Sharma continues to dominate the T20I batting charts, followed by England’s Phil Salt in second and India’s Tilak Varma in third.
In the bowling rankings, Shaheen Afridi made another big jump, moving 12 spots to claim 13th position with 635 points, level with India’s Axar Patel. Mohammad Nawaz rose to 41st, while Saim Ayub also registered an extraordinary surge of 51 places, now sitting at 58th with 482 points. Faheem Ashraf climbed 26 places to break into the top 100 at 93rd.
However, not all Pakistani bowlers moved upward. Abrar Ahmed slid to seventh, Sufiyan Muqeem fell three places to 17th with 624 points, Haris Rauf dropped five spots to 33rd, and Abbas Afridi slipped to 50th.
India’s Varun Chakaravarthy maintained his dominance as the No. 1 T20I bowler, with New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy second and Australia’s Adam Zampa third.
